Search - Happy Together on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1997 DVD Release: 09/02/2003 Format: DVD - Letterbox for TV Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 37 mins Studio: Kino Members Wishing: 10 Genres: Drama, Romance, Romantic Drama, Gay & Lesbian Films See Also: Happy Together [Special Edition], Happy Together

Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai directs the strange, intimate drama Cheun Gwong Tsa Sit (Happy Together). Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle employed multiple film speeds and different color film stock during the shooting. Ho (Leslie Cheung) and Lai (Tony Leung) are lovers from Hong Kong who have run away to live in Buenas Aires, Argentina. However, Ho is immature and unwilling to settle down, which makes Lai depressed. When they break up, Lai works as a doorman in a tango bar in order to save money and go home. The restless Ho becomes a prostitute. After Ho is beaten and injured in an attack, Lai takes him to his apartment to recover. Ho tries to rekindle the romance, but Lai isn't interested. He leaves the tango bar and works in a kitchen, where he meets the young Chang (Chang Chen) from Taiwan. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Leslie Cheung - Ho Po-wing
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai - Lai Yiu-fai
Chang Chen - Chang

Wong Kar-Wai's visually fascinating Happy Together works like a moving digital painting in this Kino Video DVD. The director's trademark abstract imagery, crazed lighting effects, and wild editing is quite striking here in a 1.85:1 widescreen presentation. Colors bleed and blend into each other, as the director intended. There's a bit of grain to the print, but it's most likely part of the director's vision. Cinematographer Chris Doyle's achievement with lighting and feel translates perfectly to the home cinema. Sound quality is another story. The moody music of Danny Chung is appropriately mixed and effectively jazzy, but the dialogue is muted and distant. Since many viewers will be reading the yellow, English subtitles, the subpar audio serves mostly as a minor distraction, but nothing more. As far as supplemental features are concerned, things are skimpy. The main menu serves as the DVD's chapter list, allowing instant access to the DVD's 13 chapters, one of which is the movie's stylish, fun trailer. Behind-the-scenes footage or cast and crew biographies would have been most welcome, but they're not to be found. At least the DVD's case provides good background information on the director, especially in the interview by Han Ong on the inner flap. Despite the tinny audio, Happy Together on DVD is an excellent introduction to the cinematic genius of Wong Kar-Wai. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Movie Guide